


parenthood is the hardest challenge yet

by inlovewithimpossibility



Series: Snapshots [16]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, We don't know her, all of the fluff, like seriously, pain?, this is all fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 17:18:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16685812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inlovewithimpossibility/pseuds/inlovewithimpossibility
Summary: Right, Oliver thinks to himself as he looks in the mirror, I’ve faced the worst threats to the city we’ve seen in the past ten years. I can do this.“Daddy? I needs to get ready! I’m gonna be late!”He looks down at the pink ballet uniform in his hands.Yeah, this is scarier than Damien Darhk, Malcom Merlyn and Ricardo Diaz combined.Or, with his wife away, Oliver Queen faces his biggest challenge yet and every dad's worst nightmare: the ballet bun





	parenthood is the hardest challenge yet

**Author's Note:**

> I am loving Season Seven BUT I needed to think about my babies happy and safe and not dead after the harrow of these episodes so enjoy some Daddy/Baby Queen goodness

_Right,_ Oliver thinks to himself as he looks in the mirror, _I’ve faced the worst threats to the city we’ve seen in the past ten years. I can do this._

“Daddy? I needs to get ready! I’m gonna be late!”

He looks down at the pink ballet uniform in his hands.

Yeah, this is scarier than Damien Darhk, Malcolm Merlyn and Ricardo Diaz combined.

“Daddy!”

“Okay baby, Daddy’s coming!” He calls back and with one glance in the mirror, steps out into the kitchen to see his adorable daughter, the light of his life, a total mess on the couch.

She’s still in her pajamas, her blonde curls are an absolute mess around her head and she’s halfway through a chocolate bar that he knows he didn’t tell her she could have.

“Lia, what have Momma and I said about taking chocolate without asking?” He asks, raising an eyebrow in a way he didn’t even know was possible until he became a parent.

“I didn’t! Zoe gaves me this before she left!” She explains and Oliver hums, taking it from her and wrapping the other half up to place in the fridge.

“You can have the rest later, we need to get you ready for class. Here, let’s go get changed.” He holds up her outfit but she merely shakes her little head, an expression on her face so much like one he’s seen on her mother’s face a million times. “What do you mean no, little lady?”

“Momma always does my hair firsts so the hairspray and stuff don’t get on my uniform,” Ophelia explains as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh right,” Oliver states, remembering the last week when Felicity had disappeared with Ophelia in her pajamas and appeared ten minutes later with their scruffy little angel looking like a prim and proper ballerina. “And we do that?”

“In the bathroom of course! Gosh Daddy, you really don’t know much about this.” The four-year-old sighs with all the sass she inherited from her parents and Oliver sends another apology skyward to his parents if he was ever this sassy, this young.

“Alright little lady, I’m trying my best. Bathroom, let’s go or do you want to be late?” He asks and that gets her moving, rushing off towards the bathroom. He helps her up to sit on the counter and then looks at the supplies laid out by the sink.

“You needs to brush it first Daddy.” Ophelia stage whispers and he smiles, knowing his baby wouldn’t stay so sassy for so long. That’s half of her personality, but she also got the Queen charm and her mother’s incredible likability.

“Thanks, Liabug. You gonna sit still?” He asks and Ophelia nods, holding up a tablet that he didn’t even realize she had. She flicks onto an episode of her favorite TV show and Oliver figures it will keep her still so doesn’t bother getting too worried about screen time.

The only issue that Oliver runs into is that he has no idea how to create the ballerina buns Felicity does so effortlessly every week. He knows that all of Ophelia’s hair ends up on top of her head so he figures that’s a good place to start once he’s got it all brushed out.

Being as gentle as he can, he gathers Ophelia’s crazy curls into his hands and lifts them onto the top of her head, grabbing a ponytail holder and wrapping it around the hair. When he lets go, however, the hair seems to flop down her back and the parts that do stay in the ponytail seem to be ridiculously bumpy.

Oliver then remembers that he sometimes sees Felicity combing her hair into a ponytail so he removes his disaster ponytail holder and picks up a comb, gently urging Ophelia’s hair up towards the top of her head. The only issue is that whenever he gets one side smooth, the other seems to flop out all over the place.

“Daddy, you gotsta hold the hair in your hand,” Ophelia explains and demonstrates by grabbing her hair into a ponytail on top of her head. “Then you combs to get it flat.”

“Oh okay.” He frowns, feeling a little bad that he’s literally having to follow his four year old’s advice on how to do her hair. He follows her instructions and finds that it’s a lot easier, finally managing to get a decent looking ponytail. He even manages to gel down her crazy hairs around her face so that it’s all neat.

“That looks goods, Daddy.” Ophelia smiles toothily at him through the mirror and Oliver feels himself melt as he kisses her cheek.

“Thanks, baby, now we just gotta get it into a bun. Any idea how Momma does that?” He asks, figuring that she seems to know what to do up to this point but Ophelia just shrugs.

“She uses that and the pins which sometimes go in my head which is ouchy.” She offers and Oliver frowns, glaring at the tiny pins sat inconspicuously on the counter. Doesn’t matter that they’re an inanimate object, they hurt his baby girl. She’s also gesturing to something made of out sponge in the shape of a donut.

“Alright, might be time to phone a friend.” He frowns and pulls his cell phone out his back pocket to video call Felicity. It goes to voicemail however and Oliver frowns, deciding to try his sister.

“Hi, Ollie.” She answers and Ophelia perks up, twisting to try and get in the frame.

“Auntie T’ea!” Ophelia grins, waving and Thea giggles.

“Well hello there Princess, do you know why Daddy’s calling me at 9 o’clock on a Sunday morning?” Thea teases, looking at her brother who merely looks at her helplessly.

“Momma’s aways on her big work trip and Daddy doesn’t knows how to do my hair for ballet,” Ophelia explains quickly and Thea immediately cracks up, grinning at her brother through the phone.

“Aww Ollie, the mighty Green Arrow, defeated by a ballet bun.” She quips and Oliver glares, shaking his head.

“Not funny Speedy, can you help or not? Her class starts at ten and it’s across town.” He asks desperately and Thea laughs, nodding her head.

“Alright, Lia babe, can you hold the phone for Daddy?” Thea asks and Ophelia nods, taking the heavy phone into her shaky hands.

Thea talks him through the next steps of feeding the pony through the donut thing and then draping her hair around it. His sister then explains how to twist the hair around the bottom and then instructs him to pin it into place.

“She said the pins hurt her head.” Oliver stills, holding the twist in place as he frowns through the phone.

“They’ll only hurt if you hit her in the scalp. Pin into the donut and you’ll be fine.” Thea assures him but Oliver still frowns, being extra careful as he uses the pins. “God Ollie, it’ll fall out immediately if you put them in like that! Just push.”

He’s a little less tentative on the next one but once he gets no objection from Ophelia, he gets a little more secure with it. Soon enough, the bun is pinned to her head and it actually looks good.

“Alright Lia babe, wiggle your head,” Thea instructs and Ophelia does as told. Oliver grins with pride as it stays secure. “Well done Ollie, you have successfully created a ballet bun.”

“Thanks for your help Speedy,” Oliver tells her honestly and Thea chuckles.

“Any time big bro. Bye bye, Lia-Bia.” Thea waves and Ophelia grins, waving happily and handing Oliver his phone back once Thea hangs up.

“What do you think, baby? Did I do a good job?” He asks, admiring his work.

“It’s really goods Daddy, ‘specially for your first go! Now you just gotsta spray the hairspray and put on my headband.” Ophelia explains and points to the hairspray and the pink stretchy Alice band sat on the counter.

Oliver nods and completes the last part of his task easily, smiling as the band hides the small mess around her face due to the curly nature of her hair.

“Looks good to me baby girl. Shall we get you dressed?” He asks and Ophelia nods, holding up her arms to be swung down from the counter.

His phone rings just as he’s finishing tying the cardigan behind Ophelia’s back.

“Momma!” Ophelia grins as Felicity’s face lights up the screen.

“Hi there, baby girl! Oh, you look all ready to go to ballet and wow, Daddy did a really good job on your hair, huh?” Felicity grins as Oliver directs the camera towards their adorable daughter who begins to twirl for effect.

“Uh huh! He had to phone a friend but we gots there in the end!” She explains and Felicity quirks an eyebrow.

“I got a little stuck after the ponytail, it’s why I called you but Thea came to the rescue.” Oliver offers and Felicity smiles, nodding her head.

“You did a great job babe, it looks really neat! Her teachers will be impressed.” His wife smiles and Oliver does too. “I’ve got to go, my next meeting’s in five minutes but I love you both so much and I will see you very soon. Give William my love as well.”

“We will do. I love you.” Oliver replies before turning the camera back to Ophelia. “Lia, say goodbye to Momma.”

“Bye, Momma! I loves you lots and lots and lots. I hopes you do really well in your bossy things and I can’t waits to see you soon so I can give you all the kisses you’ve missed this week!” Ophelia grins up at the camera and blows a lot of kisses, making Felicity tear up. Oliver turns the phone around so that Ophelia can see Felicity’s face.

“I can’t wait for that either, little bit. I love you so so much and have a great ballet lesson.” Felicity smiles, blowing kisses right back at her baby girl. Oliver smiles as his two girls wave at each other before Felicity declares that she really has to go and says goodbye one more time.

“Okay Liabug, let’s get you to this ballet class.” Oliver grins and scoops her under one arm and his keys up with the other.

After today, having conquered the ballet bun, Oliver Queen feels like there’s not much he can’t do.


End file.
